True as Steel
by xambedo
Summary: Seven years ago, two brothers decimated the land, dividing Fiore's kingdoms in a siege of unholy power. They called it the Dragneel War. Deep in the south, driven out by Zeref's savagery, a lone princess fled the terrors of Alvarez and found refuge in Magnolia's castle, where Natsu Dragneel awaits his brother's return.. [Full summary inside] / [Knight/Royalty AU] / [NaLu].
1. Her Voice

**Series:** Fairy Tail.  
**Pairing:** NaLu.  
**Rating:** M - brief explicit content, language.  
**Genre(s):** Romance, Fantasy, Adventure.  
**AU:** Bodyguard/Royalty AU.  
**POV:** Alternates | Natsu.

_True as Steel: Very loyal and dependable._

**A/N:** Yes, it's me. Back from hiatus (I know, right? About time!). Anyway, after spending a good year plotting and drafting my novel, I'm diving back into fandom with a mini-series! It's much faster-paced than I would normally write, with romance blossoming right away. The entire series will be uploaded by the end of tonight, so keep an eye on those chapters dropping! I love you guys so much. Thanks for everything.

**Summary:** Seven years ago, two brothers decimated the land, dividing Fiore's kingdoms in a siege of unholy power. They called it the Dragneel War.

Deep in the south, driven out by Zeref's savagery, a lone princess fled the terrors of Alvarez and found refuge in Magnolia's castle, where Natsu Dragneel awaits his brother's return. Exuding magical power, Lucy was given an ultimatum: train to become Natsu's bodyguard, or live a life on the run.

Natsu is hiding something behind his joyful smile, and Lucy would do anything to find out what. If only she hadn't fallen in love first.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE | HER VOICE**

* * *

_ Oh, 'cause I keep digging myself down deeper.  
__ I won't stop 'til I get where you are.  
__ I keep running when both my feet hurt;  
__ I won't stop 'til I get where you are.  
__ Oh, when you go down all your darkest roads,  
__ I would've followed all the way to the graveyard._

* * *

It took seven years to finally hear her voice.

Natsu dropped his belt as quickly as he'd grabbed it, the buckle clattering hot against the stone. He almost lost his trousers in the process, prompting him to take an abrupt seat on his bed.

"What did you just say?" he asked, fixing his buttons.

Lucy stood in his doorway, dark eyes a haze of mystery. Sunlight glimmered on her steel armour, lightweight mail and cloth hugged tightly against her hardened figure. She'd cut her hair so short it barely held in the ponytail at her neck. It was nice, he thought, seeing her face unburdened by all those blonde tresses. She removed her scabbard and set it against the wall, the hilt of her sword bound in vibrant gold silk. It looked expensive.

She didn't speak as she approached, barely taking three steps before she eased back on her heels, gloved hands threaded behind her back. At ease like a soldier without orders.

Could he have imagined it? Lucy hadn't spoken a single word since arriving at Magnolia castle, not even a breath of a whisper. Igneel had said she was suffering a trauma, and that the trauma was so deep it would take years to release her from its cage. Despite this, Natsu's father had convinced her to stay, and now she wandered the halls silently, reading books and sneaking off to train with the knights like a beautiful ghost. Erza was—according to Igneel—doing her best to hone Lucy's battle skills.

Something about her didn't seem to belong in a war. Lucy was blindingly beautiful and carried herself with an authority that didn't suit her calm demeanour, giving her an air of importance that made him want to protect her. He wouldn't drag her into his fight.

Comfortable with her silence, Natsu had spent the past seven years by her side, leading her through secret tunnels and testing her patience at every corner. No matter what he did, what he said, Lucy never answered back, never complained or cried. She just carried on, like a leaf blown free, torn away from its tree and accepting its fate among the wind. It wasn't until recently that he realised she'd been holding back.

"I am to be your guardian," she said, in a voice so clear it rang a warning knell in his heart.

Natsu leapt from his bed. "So you _can_ talk!"

She smiled, but it was a smile that said, _Don't interrupt me. _Natsu bit his tongue. Something about her expression doused his awe and replaced it with something cold and quiet. He let her finish.

"From now on, I will always be by your side."

Natsu grimaced. _Always_? Was she a guard or a babysitter? He'd gone to war at just eighteen years old, fought his brother, claimed the magic of dragons and used it to spare his people a cruel demise. What good was an Alvarez runaway going to do him? Of course, a lot of that was unknown to his father and his people, and so Natsu had to suffer their pandering every day.

Lucy had barely escaped Alvarez with her life, showing up at the castle drenched in rain and blood. Why would Igneel try to make her a knight?

"I don't need protecting," he said.

"Please," she said, and it was as sincere a plea as any he'd ever heard. "Please don't turn me away."

Ah, so that was it. This was the ultimatum, the reason Igneel had spent so long caring for Lucy. She was to be his guard or be turned out. It wasn't like his father to turn a blind eye to suffering, but war brought darkness to even the brightest hearts, and they couldn't rescue everyone. He thought Lucy's magic was too valuable to waste and too dangerous to keep without reassurance.

Was Natsu her charge or her test subject? With all that magic and no outlet, Lucy was a lone candle left to burn in the middle of the woods. The slightest disturbance could set the trees ablaze.

"Do you think you can protect me?" he asked. "Will you charge into battle on my command, even if it means you die?"

"Yes."

Natsu inhaled a sharp breath. "Then prove it. I can't just—"

Natsu hit the ground before he could blink. His back hit the rug, and Lucy was upon him instantly, straddling either side of his waist. He swallowed. Hard. She oozed magic now, gossamer threads of it tickling his bare chest, tracing the muscle in his exposed stomach.

_Definitely a test subject. _

She leaned in close to his face, her breath hot on his lips. "Natsu Dragneel, you are now in my care."

Natsu froze. The slightest sprinkle of freckles had emerged on her nose and cheeks. Lucy was breathtaking in the summer.

He cleared his throat. "Okay, okay. I got it."

She seemed at peace with that, and then suddenly Lucy blanched, her expression transitioning from cold white to hot red. She stood with a squeak, covering her face in her palms. Natsu stifled a laugh.

"Finally remembered that I'm your prince, huh?" His brows tented.

Lucy bowed apologetically. "I let our friendship best me."

Friendship? So that's what she called their odd relationship? Natsu eased himself off the floor, sitting crosslegged. He hadn't had a real friend since Zeref abandoned him. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad having her by his side a little longer. Her intellect could serve him well in the long run, if he let her in on a few of his secrets.

"Did you hear from my father?" he asked.

Lucy helped him stand. "He returned this morning. The messengers you sent to the breach were all dead."

Natsu flinched. For years messengers were able to cross the breach and come back alive. It was the single remaining border between Magnolia and Alvarez that wasn't plagued by Zeref's people. For seven years now it had been safe to cross. It seemed there wouldn't be an eighth.

"We don't have much time," Natsu said.

Lucy studied him quietly. "You believe he is on the move?"

"Yes... No. I don't know. But I know my brother. I thought I did, anyway. He's smart, Lucy. He wouldn't murder my messengers for no reason, not without sending word back to me." Something in his heart crumbled, and Natsu swallowed the pain down into the fiery pit of his stomach, where it turned again to ash and dust. "Unless that _was _his message."

"Natsu..."

"That stubborn bastard." Natsu clenched a fist. "I just wanted to help him."

"Get dressed," Lucy said.

"Is that an order as my bodyguard?" he asked.

The grogginess of a long night's sleep still weighed on him, and Natsu didn't much feel like roaming the castle yet. He hadn't done his morning training yet, either.

Lucy smiled. "There's something I want to show you."

Now _that _caught his interest. She grabbed her sword and Natsu dressed as she ushered him through the eastern wing, stepping through lengthy corridors and deep into the grand vestibule. They passed the indoor fountain, water streaming from granite fairies, and crossed into the western wing. Lucy led him to her room, where she produced a key and deftly unlocked the door. He'd never seen the inside before.

Rows upon rows of books littered every wall, squeezed tightly into shelves so narrow only Lucy could find what she needed. Small lanterns hung from brackets in each wall, and a small round table occupied the middle of the room. She walked him to a seat and sat him there, on the left side closest to her bed. Sheer canopies fluttered in the cool wind, her bedside window held ajar by a thick book.

"You wanted to show me your room?" he asked.

Lucy's expression flashed through waves of contempt and amusement. He saw in her eyes the briefest moment where she wanted to kick him.

Maybe they really were friends.

"This," she said, pulling a small journal from a drawer in her desk. She set it on the table and sat opposite him. "I think you should read it."

Natsu hesitated. "I'm not the best..."

"Oh. Oh! Right."

He wasn't totally illiterate. He could read if he concentrated, but he lacked the focus, and the essence of his magic left him weak in areas untouched by its prowess. That was how magic worked in Fiore. The stronger your power, the more it took from you.

Lucy flipped open the journal and said, "It belonged to Zeref."

Natsu snatched it from her hand. She was right. Pages dusted with gold paint revealed letters of neat loops and smudged ink. This was definitely his brother's handwriting. He flipped through the pages, the writing become more disjointed and scratchy. Had he shared this with somebody else?

"Where did you get this, Lucy?"

"While training with Erza." She folded her hands on the table. "We visited the breach."

"You went to the breach?!"

"I-I didn't really..." Lucy chewed her lip. "I barely stepped onto the bridge."

Natsu suppressed his anger. How could they be so stupid? Lucy wasn't even a fully trained knight.

He took a breath. The breach was living proof he'd failed his people. A single crater in the ground, so large they'd built a fortified bridge across the ruined earth to cross it and salvage the remains of his war. But now Zeref was putting a stop to any transportation, and Natsu still didn't know his plans. Or how to save him from...

"Did you find anything else?" he asked. "Anything shiny?"

"Shiny? Like a sword?"

A lacrima, he wanted to say, but the very word was a forbidden fruit in his throat, and Natsu had swallowed the poison long ago. Lacrima were smooth, round crystals the size of eggs. And they were, in a way, a precious form a life. Dragons didn't breed like the stories said. They created lacrima, a form of raw magic, and that magic in turn created the dragons.

But Fiore's dragons were now a myth and no one could ever speak of them, so Natsu hadn't. And then he had, because his brother had pestered him for days about his odd behaviour. So Natsu had told him about that stupid cave in the woods. And about that weird egg he'd found in the darkness, drawn in by the very light it created. So they'd visited it together eight years ago. And in one year they'd fallen apart enough that the gap between them had become a war.

There was so much he wanted to say. So much he couldn't reveal. They'd call him crazy, he knew. They'd stop him from researching the lacrima, from saving his brother.

Would she believe him?

Of course she would. She'd hang onto every word like a dying man finding water in the desert, desperately soaking it all in. The temptation to talk was suddenly too much.

Natsu slapped the book closed and said, "We shouldn't read this."

"It might show us how to stop him," Lucy countered.

"You mean kill him."

Lucy faltered. Her brows knotted with concern, but she remained steadfast.

"I don't think he will come willingly." She looked like she wanted to say more, but instead retreated to a comfortable silence.

"Maybe not right now," Natsu said. "But with your help, maybe I can bring him back. He's not himself, Lucy. I can't explain it. He just isn't."

"Even if you save him, what will you do? He's a traitor and a murderer. He will be killed for his crimes."

Natsu shook his head. "I'm a murderer too."

Lucy reached across the table for his hand. Natsu withdrew his own under the table. Rejection weighed in her eyes.

"You talk a lot for someone who didn't speak a word for seven years," he said.

"I wasn't ready to speak then. But I am now."

"Why now? Because your place here is secure?"

Lucy seemed uneasy with his words, but whatever argument she had settled along with her nerves. She placed her hands flat on the table and offered him her sincerest smile. "I got tired of hearing you talk all the time," she jibed.

"_Anyway_." He flashed a brief grin to show his amusement. "Now that you're my bodyguard, you'll have to go along with what I say."

She seemed to consider that seriously. "I'm sure I can talk you out of anything foolish."

It seemed odd thinking about her talking at all. And yet, somehow, he'd already gotten used to it. It was as though he'd been listening to her voice all along.

Now that she talked, Lucy might prove to be a nuisance. Even in silence, she'd always had a way of dropping his guard, making him vulnerable. There were times he'd almost told her everything. Maybe it was the security of knowing she couldn't repeat his words, not without writing them down and exposing herself in the process.

"Well, Lucy. I'll be off on my adventures. Don't hurt yourself trying to keep up with me."

They stood as one. Natsu blenched. Damn it, was she really that attuned to his behaviour?

"I take it you're coming?" he acquiesced.

"Actually, I must visit your father before I can join you for good. Now that you've accepted."

Accepted? Like he had a choice! "Want me to come with you? My old man isn't great at taking things seriously." Then again, neither was he.

Lucy dismissed his offer with a quick shake of her head. "I will go alone."

"Leaving your charge alone? That's terrible—"

Someone grabbed him in a headlock. Natsu yelped, but Lucy didn't come to his aid. _Damn it._ He'd recognise that strength anywhere, which made his struggle all the more obsolete. Natsu stared at the ground in defeat.

"Who said you'd be alone?" Erza asked.

"Quit it, Erza! That hurts."

There was a reason they called her Titania. Give her any weapon and she could wield it like magic—that included her fists. She left the other knights weak with envy and longing, her skills rivalled only by her beauty. She was Magnolia's secret weapon.

"Weren't you itching for a fight with me just yesterday? You're such a fickle boy," Erza teased, letting him go.

She wore her new armour, glittering silver steel with adorning white feathers. She really did look like a fairy queen. Her scarlet hair fell in a thick tail down her back, decorated with small beads he recognised from a stall in the market. Jellal must have visited again.

"Did you forget I'm a prince?" he muttered.

_Everyone _forgot he was a prince. Or rather, they forget they should _treat him like one_. Maybe it was his own fault. He'd somehow accrued all these "friendships" without ever really meaning to.

Despite her maturity, Erza was the same age as Natsu, with Lucy just a year behind them. They were, as Lucy put it, friends on some level. But neither Erza or Lucy seemed to lack respect for him. They spoke with him fondly, and with a familiarity he didn't mind, but they always snapped back into formality when needed.

"I see you two are as close as ever," Lucy said, though she was staring solely at Erza. It seemed even Lucy was bewitched by Titania's beauty.

"Close?" Natsu rubbed his neck. "Not by choice."

"Only good friends can tease each other like this," Erza said. "You too, Lucy. You are part of the family now." She tapped the Fairy Tail emblem on her chest plate. It was the name of his father's personal squadron.

Lucy grinned.

Again with the friendship? Natsu's belly warmed with a heat that wasn't entirely hostile, but it wasn't comfortable either. Friends were liabilities during times of war. The thought of losing them made his stomach hurt.

"I'm hungry," he said.

Erza squeezed his shoulder. Hard. "Then go to the kitchens. I am your protector, not your servant. Breakfast isn't my expertise, though I am partial to a nice dessert."

"Dessert in the morning, Lady Scarlet?" Lucy giggled. "That sounds fun."

Erza squeezed him in excitement.

"Ow! Okay, okay! Let go, Erza!"

"Come, Natsu," she said, snaking an arm around his shoulder. "I have much to discuss with you after our recent visit to the breach. I'd say some nice tea is in order."

Natsu shot Lucy a desperate glance. Erza marched him towards the door and out of Lucy's protection, who simply shrugged off his plea and waved him out.

* * *

It was an hour later that Natsu managed to slip from Erza's grasp, a mouthful of bread between his teeth. He entered the northern foyer and hurried along the stairways, passing old portraits and valuable statues of old Dragneel royalty. The throne room was empty. Had he missed them?

"Thank you for doing this, Lucy. It must be hard doing things so beneath your station."

Beneath her station? As a knight?

Natsu followed the sound of Igneel's voice. He found them sitting in his father's office, a secluded area hidden behind the great throne. Natsu peered through the gap in the door and watched as Igneel took Lucy's hands.

"It is the least I can do," she said.

"My boy needs more than a guardian, Lucy. He needs a friend. Zeref was everything to him; Natsu looked up to his brother, though he's embarrassed to admit it now. Who wants to believe they admired a monster? He needs someone to care about him in ways the others cannot. He hasn't been the same since they were rescued from the caves."

Natsu almost barged into the room. This had nothing to do with Lucy! Not even his father knew the true nature of their "game" in the caves.

During their forbidden trip to see the lacrima, Zeref had somehow cracked it, and the whole cave had collapsed. His father's guards had saved them hours later. They were lucky to be alive.

"They were always going on adventures. I thought they'd fight side by side," Igneel said. "Perhaps it's my fault. Zeref hasn't been the same since he found out the truth."

Lucy nodded reassurance. "You are no less family to him than his blood parents were. You are not to blame for his actions."

Natsu reeled as if struck. He stepped away from the door, nearly toppling over the tasselled red carpet.

Zeref wasn't Igneel's son? He wasn't Natsu's brother?

He returned to his room in a hurry, pulling maps and ink and quills from every nook and cranny. He spread a map of Fiore across his desk and placed black marble chess pieces on areas under Zeref's control. He held the south and was moving into the breach. There wasn't much time before he stepped into Magnolian territory.

Frustration welled up inside him. It didn't matter if Zeref wasn't his blood brother, they'd been raised together. He'd been everything to Natsu. A friend. A brother. A protector. He'd made Natsu strong.

Natsu fought off tears. Better to sit and plan than to cry over something he couldn't control. But oh how he wanted to cry. To mourn his wicked brother and curse all the horrible things people said about him. The confliction was eating away at his morals, at his soul. He just wanted this whole thing to be over.

Natsu's murders were excused as heroic while Zeref's war was condemned. But in the end, excuses didn't absolve their sins. It was never okay to kill someone.

It seemed strange that Erza hadn't tracked him down. Something must've come up. He was glad. She was stern and kind, but he couldn't stand the thought of Erza seeing him cry.

He suddenly wished Lucy was here. She had a way of making everything seem okay with just a quick smile.

Ugh, what was he thinking? She'd been hiding things from him all along. Just how much did she know? And for that matter, how much did his father know? She'd shown up at their home in the pouring rain, blood dripping from a tattered dress and broken shoes. The guards had swarmed her, but she hadn't said a word. Just sat there crying.

Natsu rubbed his face and groaned. He set white pieces on the map, with Lucy and himself in the castle. The Knight and the King. Future King, anyway. Igneel might be injured, but he wouldn't relinquish control while Zeref still posed a threat.

A single tear dripped onto the map, staining the old river where the breach now existed. The final fight had to be there, away from the people and their homes. He wouldn't let anyone else die. It would be a brother's brawl, to the death if he had to. Natsu had let his brother get away once, hesitated too long and watched the darkness slip away. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.

Natsu cried harder than he'd ever cried before, his mask crumbling in solitude. The heaviness claimed him in a sudden wash of slumber.

_"Natsu! You found this all by yourself? Great job!"_

_"I told you, my nose can sniff out anything."  
_

_Zeref laughed at that. "You weren't kidding."_

_Natsu grinned at his big brother. Three years older, Zeref seemed a world away even in their teens. At seventeen, Natsu had grown nearly a head taller, but Zeref still maintained authority. He would be Magnolia's next king. The people loved him, and he did his best for them. He always had._

_He liked learning the most, and so he spent the majority of his days in the library doing research. He only ever left the castle when Natsu asked him to. _

_"So what does it do?" Zeref asked, notably intrigued.  
_

_"I don't know," Natsu confessed. "As soon as I saw it I came to get you."  
_

_Zeref grinned at that. The smile didn't light up his eyes in the way it used to. Something dark swirled within him, a lure to the lacrima, a fascination with its magic. Zeref touched the crystal, tracing its smooth curves._

_"Do you think a dragon really made this?" he asked._

_Natsu nodded. "Of course!"_

_"But how does it make a new dragon? There's nothing in there."_

_They leaned closer and stared into the egg, through it, to the blur of cave walls on the other side. The translucent shell reflected only their faces and the soft shimmer of light from Natsu's torch._

_"Maybe the dragon hasn't been made yet," Natsu said. "It takes time for humans to create life, right? Maybe it's the same for dragons."  
_

_Zeref hummed in agreement. "You might be right, brother."_

_"Do you think the dragon lives here?" Natsu asked. "It wouldn't just leave a baby alone, would it?"  
_

_Zeref wasn't listening. Whatever held his attention now was beyond Natsu's comprehension. He seemed entranced with the lacrima, utterly enrapt in its existence. He whispered something, an incoherent babble, as if answering words Natsu couldn't hear. __He touched the egg and it cracked, harsh light seeping from its wound._

_The cave exploded._

Natsu woke sometime later, his neck stiff, his eyes hot and sore. Something fell off his shoulders. A blanket?

"Are you all right? Do you feel sick?"

Natsu spun in his chair. Lucy was lounging on his bed, book in hand. She no longer wore her armour, instead donning a small gown of thin cotton that dipped low on her chest. Just how late was it?

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm your protector."

"How long was I asleep?"

"The moon is out."

His stomach growled. "Damn it, I'm starving."

"I can assure you that isn't true. With the amount you eat, you're probably fit to live a whole year without sustenance."

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Did _you_ eat?"

"Yes."

"Say, Lucy..."

Lucy sat up on the bed. "What's wrong? You look pale, Natsu."

She questioned him now not with duty but with unease—as his friend. They were friends. But why? Because his father said so?

No, that wasn't fair. Lucy wasn't faking her sincerity now.

Natsu grabbed his fallen blanket and climbed onto the bed beside her. Sensing his intent, Lucy relaxed against the headboard once more. She'd really been planning to sit and watch over him the whole night. He was almost grateful.

He pulled the book out of her hand and sat beside her, his head falling gently against her own.

"Did you have a bad dream?" she asked, growing visibly warmer.

Natsu sighed. "It's not a dream when you lived it."

Lucy's arm slid around his back, and Natsu sank against her, his head a perfect fit on her shoulder. She smoothed his hair and sighed. They'd sat like this so many times before, back when she'd first moved into the castle. There were times when he just craved her warmth.

Meeting her seemed like a window into a new life. Before now, Natsu had never really spent time with anyone outside Magnolia. Strife between the two kingdoms hadn't ended with their ancestor's truce, though it had been safe to traverse Fiore for a long time now. She hailed from the kingdom his war had destroyed. He owed her this friendship, if nothing else. No, he wanted it. To be with someone human, someone who wasn't enchanted by his world.

"I was supposed to meet her, you know. The princess of Alvarez." Lucy tensed beneath him. Natsu found that strange until he remembered her wounds on the day she'd arrived. "Crap. Sorry. I know Alvarez is a sore subject for you."

Even when she'd been mute, Lucy hated hearing the very name of her kingdom. It set a rain of gloom about her otherwise sunny demeanour. She wore that gloom now like a cloak, hood casting shadows on her face. He smiled, and Lucy relaxed, but there was something vacant in her gaze now. Was it because he'd mentioned the princess?

"My father was coordinating our meeting before the war."

"Really? Well, I'm sure she would have liked you." The way she said it made her seem so certain.

"Did you ever meet her? I mean, did you ever see her outside the castle? I heard the rumours, that the princess often wandered the streets and visited the sick. She was really loved. Even my people share stories of the Heartfilia heir."

"I had no idea," Lucy said.

"About what?"

She cleared her throat. "I mean, I never met her. Never saw her. I had no idea she was supposed to meet Magnolian royalty. The two kingdoms haven't seen true peace since our ancestors fought over those silly crystals. There's always a lingering fear that someone will attack Alvarez and try to take remnants of the old war back with them."

Natsu's blood rushed to his ears. She knew about the lacrima? There were crystals in Alvarez? He was about to ask her when something else popped into his mind. "I never even knew her name."

"You never thought to ask your father?"

"No. He said to let him handle it. He's a believer in destiny, and thinks the less you know a person the easier it is to love their present self. The past can corrupt your judgement. He said my only task was to introduce myself properly and..." Natsu couldn't quite place the word. Seduce seemed too strong. Court seemed too noble. "Win her heart, I guess."

Lucy jerked upright and Natsu fell into her lap. He groaned against her bare thighs. "Seriously, Lucy? What's up with you?"

Her legs were so soft, though he could feel her well-trained muscle tense under all that smooth skin. He'd touched a nerve.

"What did you say?" she asked him.

He turned his head in her lap. Natsu read something unfamiliar in her face, a touch of horror, or surprise, like this information should have been given to her sooner.

"What did I say about what? Oh, the princess?"

"Yes. The princess," she said.

Natsu waved it off. _No big deal. _Except that it was. And now he was about to tell the only southerner he'd trusted since the Dragneel War ended.

Natsu sat up and gazed long into Lucy's eyes, suddenly embarrassed at what he had to say. He sometimes wished the exchange had never happened. That his father hadn't betrothed him to someone he didn't know. If he was going to love, he wanted it to be someone he cared about, someone who made him comfortable, whole. He wanted to be her best friend, not her asset.

Someone like...

A sliver of something distant gripped his chest, and Natsu considered lying for a moment. Why did he even bring this up? The story erupted like word vomit, no control, the after-effects sticky and hot like bile in his throat.

He found himself wondering if this news would hurt her. But why would it? She was his guardian. His friend. There was nothing to be sorry about. Even so, the acidic burn in his throat spread evenly across his chest. He knew this feeling well, an emotion so violent it sank its teeth into his heart and wouldn't let go.

_Guilt_.

"I was supposed to marry her."


	2. His Smile

A/N: this content _does _have a few brief paragraphs of explicit content. I have placed dividers for those of you who wish to skip it. :)

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO | HIS SMILE**

* * *

_Oh no, there you go, you're making me a liar.  
Got me begging you for more.  
Oh no, there I go, startin' up a fire.  
Oh no, no.  
Oh no, there you go, you're making me a liar.  
I kinda like it though.  
Oh no, there I go, startin' up a fire.  
Oh no, you're making me a liar.  
'Cause my clothes are on the floor._

* * *

"Is everything all right, Lucy?"

Lucy polished the blade of her sword, swiping the cloth back and forth, back and forth, back and—

"Hey, Lu." Someone clapped. "Did you overheat in all that armour?"

Lucy's head snapped up. Levy fanned Lucy with a sheet of parchment, her blue hair plastered to her face, sweat trickling down her cheeks. She'd taken off her boots and opened the window sometime between Lucy unsheathing her sword and beginning to polish it. A single stack of books sat on the round table.

Lucy blinked herself back to reality, away from thoughts of _that night_. It had been a week since Natsu told her about his arranged marriage to the princess. After Natsu's sudden confession—he did that sometimes, emptied his burdens into Lucy's lap without warning her first—Lucy hadn't been able to sleep that night, or any night since. She simply stared at him, wondering what her life would be like if the arrangement went through.

They were supposed to marry? Her and _Natsu_? Arranged marriages weren't unheard of in the kingdom, and she supposed it would have been a blessed union. The two kingdoms finally united in love, their thrones combined, the world at peace. And Natsu wasn't a bad man. He was handsome and smart, though he often said things that made her question his intelligence. He was also kind and funny and had a way of putting her at ease.

But why Natsu at all? Zeref was the elder brother, he was going to take the...

Oh. That's right. Zeref had no blood claim to the throne. Natsu was Magnolia's true king, even if he didn't know it. And he could have been the king of Fiore, had Lucy stopped Zeref right there at the gate.

She'd really thought she had.

Her face heated at thoughts of being wed to Natsu. "Jeez, it's hot in here."

"You live high atop the castle walls, of course it's hot in here," Levy said.

"Thanks for bringing me those books, Levy."

"I had to visit the castle no matter what," Levy said, waving off the effort as though she hadn't carried a stack of books twice her height.

Levy was a famous scholar in Magnolia. Igneel summoned her for advice on a wide range of topics, and she and Lucy had bonded over their love of books during one of Levy's many visits. Of course, back then, Lucy hadn't spoken a word. They'd exchanged small notes and letters, and it had been enough.

Lucy stood from her bed and patted the stack of books, reassured that _something _might explain the old lore of her land, and give a hint as to Zeref's whereabouts. According to Igneel's scouts, the few who survived, Zeref no longer lived in Alvarez castle. He'd moved elsewhere, which meant he wasn't interested in the throne.

Lucy stared at her naked hands, at the clean, soft skin where blood had once been. She could still feel it dripping between her fingers. Her mother's lifeblood, so hot. But her skin had been so cold. She couldn't even bury the body. She'd run away like a coward, turned her back on her people when they needed her most.

"Shouldn't you be going now?" Levy asked. "It's almost time for your shift."

Lucy laughed at that. She and Erza were currently rotating what they called Natsu Duty, with Erza rousing him in the morning and Lucy taking care of him through the night. He was more settled after lunch, and so Lucy much preferred being with him after he ate.

"I'll be off then," she said, fixing her tunic and buckling her new breastplate. It wasn't as heavy, meaning she could utilise her speed and dexterity much better now.

"Take care. And, Lucy, try not to think too much."

Lucy smiled to herself. That obvious, huh?

She found Natsu sitting at his map again, playing with marble chess pieces. With fewer and fewer messengers making it across the breach and back, he'd scarcely had need to move them at all. But he was working now, arranging a strategy, trying to figure out how to cross the breach and infiltrate Zeref's hideout. If only they could figure out where it was.

Erza stood in the far corner of the room, watching the window, the door, and Natsu. She worried he might be going overboard, working himself too much. Planning something stupid. Natsu wasn't a man who gave his life so easily. He didn't believe in noble sacrifices. He valued living as much as he valued the lives of his subjects. But lately, he'd seemed desperate. The knights were worried about him. Lucy was worried about him.

"Right on time," Erza praised.

Lucy smiled. The sound of Erza's voice didn't sever Natsu's concentration. He slid pieces left and right, mapping out a new plan. And then he threw his hands across the map, sending pieces scattering to the floor. He stood with a growl.

"Natsu! Calm down!" Erza yelled. She turned to Lucy. "He's been like that all morning."

"Has he eaten?" Lucy asked.

Erza shook her head.

Wow, that bad?

Lucy watched him pick up the pieces, scrambling to put them back into place. He mumbled as he worked.

"You should put that frustration to better use," Erza scolded.

Lucy approached him calmly. "You don't have to do this alone, you know? Why don't we work on it after you eat."

When she touched his arm, Natsu shoved her away, and Lucy felt herself tethered between duty and personal frustration.

_I'm only trying to help, you jerk._

"I'll leave you two alone," Erza said, shooting Lucy a glance that said, _You got this,_ before leaving the room.

Natsu trembled, his anger spilling out like licks of flame. He'd tapped into his magic again. Lucy couldn't approach now unless she wanted to burn in the process.

"Sorry," he said, reigning in his emotions.

"Don't be. You have every right to be angry. But you need to look after yourself, too. Magnolia needs its prince. What will you do if someone attacks the castle and you're too weary to fight?"

Natsu looked at her. "I have you, right?"

Lucy swallowed. He did, it was true, but she wasn't as practised as the other knights, and her magic was unstable. It seemed foolish that she stood by his side at all, but Igneel was sure of it, sure of their bond.

"Why don't we go for a ride somewhere? I haven't seen you with Happy in a long time."

Igneel had told Lucy that Natsu often got motion sickness when riding on horseback or in a carriage, but sometime after the war he'd saved Happy from a group of mercenaries. They'd become fast friends. Happy was a proud house, strong and quick. They'd been inseparable until recently.

"I don't want to stray too far," Natsu confessed, though she could see it in his eyes that he was itching for an adventure. The kind of adventure that wouldn't cost the lives of thousands in his absence.

Lucy extended a hand. "We can stay close. You can show me your secret place. The one you told me about, remember?"

Natsu was about to take her hand when footsteps bounded through the hall, hitting stone so hard the charge echoed deep into the room. They turned at once to the doorway, and three knights emerged, their visors snapped shut. They wore the Dragneel banner in capes on their shoulders. Scouts.

"What is it?" Natsu asked.

Lucy spread her arm, holding him back. "Please remove your helmets," she said.

They did, and it was Gray leading the group. He quickly wiped the sweat from his brow and, ignoring all formality, blurted, "They found bodies at the breach."

Lucy's eyes widened. "They found the messengers?"

"No. No, not like that." Gray seemed lost in the icy details for a moment. He shook his head. "It's impossible. But it's real. It's them, Natsu. Their bodies must've been preserved with some kind of magic. We found them hanging on posts by the bridge."

"Was the princess with them?" Natsu asked.

"No. But there's no mistaking it's them."

Reality hit Lucy like a boot to the face. "You found..."

No. No, it couldn't be them. What kind of monster would save their bodies just to put them on display like trophies?

"Let's go, Lucy," Natsu said.

Lucy followed woodenly behind them, barely able to contain her emotions. It was her duty, she reminded herself, to stay at Natsu's side. But _oh _how she wanted to turn and run.

Part of her wanted to sit down and cry right there in the eastern corridor, but the part of her at work, the part of her with secrets, kept only a straight face. When she slowed more, Natsu grabbed her hand, and they walked together into the foyer. Igneel and a few men Lucy didn't recognise were crowded around the marble altar.

At the sound of their approach, Igneel turned towards them, his gaze darting immediately to Lucy. "Don't come over here," he warned.

But she did. She barged through the crowd like an arrow in flight, and with great precision, Lucy's fears hit their mark. She stared at the bodies of her parents, her mother a pristine beauty even in death, her father stern and poised. She staggered backwards. Gray caught her, steadied her, but it was Natsu who came to her side.

"Don't look," he said, but Lucy couldn't stop staring.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry, it's all my..."

Zeref's invasion unravelled in her mind like yarn spilling on the ground, rolling, rolling, tangling around every other thought. She saw him arrive at the gate, his soldiers clad in onyx-black armour. She watched the bloodshed through her mind's eye. Lucy gasped, and then the gasp became a sob. She retched.

"Lucy? Lucy! Hey, snap out of it!"

She tore away from the crowd and fled the room before anyone could see her tears, hot and heavy as they streamed down her face. She barely made it to the courtyard before she broke down completely, her knees hitting cobbles and grass, her hands shielding her face.

"I'm sorry," she gasped. "It's all my fault. It's all my fault! I couldn't..."

_I couldn't stop him. _

She cried and cried until Natsu's arms were around her. He held her tightly, never questioning her pain, never judging it. He just embraced her.

"Let's go," he said.

Lucy couldn't ask where, she simply let him lead her. They wandered through the woods, ducking under branches and climbing over thick roots that tangled deep within the soil. He brought her to an old clearing, where a single cottage stood isolated. Someone had built a well by the creek. Sweet moss and damp soil filled her senses.

Natsu led her into the cottage, where he sat her on the small bed there while he pushed open the wooden shutters. Cold air streamed through the window, but Lucy's face only grew hotter, the pain in her heart spreading thick through her cheeks. Her head hurt.

_Please don't ask me anything_, she thought. And he didn't. Natsu simply sat beside her, silent, and waited for the anguish to pass her by. When the tears stopped, Natsu offered up his lap, and she took it gratefully, laying still and silent in the sunlight. They were no longer prince and guardian. Just Lucy and Natsu. Friends.

Some guardian. He had no real need of her. She couldn't even protect her own kingdom from a threat, how could she protect Natsu? What right did she have?

Natsu caressed her cheek, and Lucy sat up to meet him, suddenly aware of how close they'd become. He placed his forehead against hers, and for a moment she knew only peace. He grabbed her hands and placed them firmly against his chest. His heart pounded beneath his shirt.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He smiled that Dragneel smile. Lucy's heart ached for reasons entirely new. Natsu's smile was the only thing capable of piercing Lucy's armour. He had a way of coming easily, his mere presence soothing, like the lullaby her mother used to sing, or the strong scent of new ink on old parchment. He couldn't beat Zeref, but in the war of love he emerged victorious every time. And Lucy had become his willing victim.

Was it safe to call it that? Love? Or was it mere attraction, acceptance. He was the first real friend she'd ever had. Someone who didn't know her status, her true name. He simply liked her for who she was. A bond forged in silence could only be strengthened by her voice and his smile.

"Natsu..."

Natsu cradled her face in his hands. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Lucy. I didn't know it would hurt you so much. I would've never asked you to come with me."

"It's my duty," she said.

"And it's _my _duty to make sure you're happy." He nuzzled his forehead against hers. "I promised you, didn't I? That you'd smile more."

He _had _promised her that. Back when she'd first arrived in the castle, Lucy hadn't only lost her voice, she'd lost her smile. Her _light_. But within weeks at his side, that joy had returned to her, that light had filled her, erasing the darkness in her mind. She'd known only him.

"I am," she said, but the tears came once more, and this time she couldn't stop them.

"It's okay," he said, wiping her tears away. "Stop crying, Lucy. It's okay."

But she couldn't.

"I'm—I'm sorry, Na—" she gasped.

"Me too."

"For what?"

His fingers caressed her damp cheeks, and Lucy felt him shifting closer. His head tilted. Lucy knotted her fingers on her lap, his breath fanning her lips. He hesitated a moment, as though a mere thread sat between them and he wasn't sure he should cut it. He brushed her mouth first, so gently she'd hardly felt it. A new kind of tension sparked between them. His lips trembled, and Lucy touched her mouth to his, a soft whisper of a kiss. Her hands lifted to his shoulders, and they kissed once more.

The gentleness of his kiss lit something inside her, inside him. He kissed her harder, and Lucy could feel heat radiating from his skin, his magic embracing her in a calming warmth.

Natsu pushed her onto the bed and Lucy welcomed him, her arms tangling around his neck, visions of her parents forgotten under the weight of his loving gaze. She combed her fingers through his hair, holding him close.

"Wait, Natsu." Her words didn't match her actions, and though she hesitated, Lucy's fingers didn't move from his hair.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I..." The truth edged closer to her lips, bubbling up like acid. _I'm here_, she wanted to say. _I'm alive. _She wanted to tell him everything. To confide in him, to tell him about all the things she'd locked away for seven long years. But she didn't. Silence now didn't seem like such a bad thing.

The way he looked at her now made her heart shiver. These were the eyes of a man who'd accepted her completely. He gazed at her now not as the refugee his father had taken in, or the knight assigned to his bedside. She was just _Lucy_. And she hadn't been that in a very long time.

"Nothing," she said, crushing her mouth against his so that the secrets wouldn't slip out.

Natsu didn't ask questions. Their clothes hit the floor in a succession of fumbling and kisses, her breastplate clattering hard on the wooden panels. When his hands found her bare skin at last, Lucy dissolved into pure affection, floating on disbelief and destiny. She belonged.

**\- EXPLICIT CONTENT BEGINS -**

His lips transcended her neck, tasting her skin, leaving tingles along her exposed breasts. Lucy covered her face, barely stifling her voice as his tongue traced all the sensitive parts of her skin. Embarrassment turned to quick accession of bliss. Suppressed feelings spilled from every kiss, from every glide of her hands on his back, to the tension in her legs when he positioned himself between them.

He looked at her now with words in his eyes, the kind of sincerity she'd seen from him so many times before, the kind of feelings that made her so enamoured with him in the first place. For so many years she'd been in his shadow, a mere wink of light in his flames. She'd thought about it so many times, about taking his hand and leading him down a path like this. She'd wanted to be closer. But she'd told herself differently, that this wasn't right. They weren't supposed to be.

And then he goes and says such a foolish thing. Marriage? Between them? It didn't seem so foolish anymore.

The sensation of him inside her left her weak. Natsu eased in slowly, soft flickers of concern and pleasure in his eyes. His smile sent ripples of warmth through her skin. The silence between them sang loudly of fondness and enchantment. It resonated through her, echoing in time with their urgent heartbeats. Lucy sat up to meet him, her arms draped around his shoulders, her legs crossed around his back. Natsu rocked his hips gently, and Lucy sank into his warmth, let the heat of his heart and his magic engulf her.

She moved with him, a dance finer and more graceful than any training she'd done before, but just as clumsy. He kissed her again, his lips moving across her cheek, shifting to her ear.

"Lucy," he whispered.

And just like that the world and its foolish war disappeared.

**\- EXPLICIT CONTENT ENDS - **

She woke sometime later, slivers of sunlight painting the floor orange and red. She rolled as if to meet him, but his side of the bed was cold and still. Lucy sat up in a heartbeat.

"Nat—"

"Rise and shine, princess."

Lucy clutched the sheets to her chest and searched the room. Natsu lay unconscious on the ground, two silhouettes masked in the cabin's shadows. Forgetting modesty, Lucy leapt out of her bed and reached for her sword, the scabbard empty.

_No._

Two women stepped out of the darkness. Lucy recognised the first. Brandish no longer wore the Alvarez armour she'd donned as Lucy's bodyguard, instead dressed in luxurious silks and furs, her dress open to reveal her left thigh. Lucy saw knives strapped to a sheath there.

"Let him go," Lucy demanded.

"Did you hear that, Randi? She's worried about her boyfriend."

Lucy didn't recognise the second woman. Cropped blonde hair stood out at the nape of her neck, exposing a single scar on her chin. Her leather suit covered every inch of skin below the neck, accessorised with a single armoured glove on her right arm. She drew her sword and approached.

Naked and alone, Lucy felt as if time had constricted around her. She had one chance to defend herself. One chance to save him.

Lucy reached within herself. Like opening the lid to a jar overflowing, the magic coursed through her in sharp waves. Could she wield it, though? Would it come to her now when she needed it?

"Let. Him. Go."

"It's useless, princess. We heard _all _about your magic from Lord Zeref," the woman said, pausing to express her amusement. Lucy wanted to crush that wry smile beneath her foot. "What good is light when the sun has already set?"

Lucy laughed at that, the sound a surprise even to her. "Is that what he told you? I never pegged him for a liar."

"Dimaria," Brandish said, her voice trembling. "This isn't part of the job. We have the prince, so let's—"

"And let this runt talk down to me? No way. She has to pay for what she did to Lord Zeref!"

"Mari!"

Dimaria ignored Brandish's plight, but it was too late. Lucy folded her hands in prayer and drew the magic within. She saw constellations move behind her eyelids, felt the heat of a thousand stars burn through her.

"Star Form: Twin Blades."

"Mari, stop! She'll kill you!"

Bathed in Cancerian's light, two swords appeared in Lucy's hands, and she cut through Dimaria without blinking. The woman collapsed behind her, bleeding and broken, but not dead. Lucy wouldn't kill unless she had to.

"Take her and go," Lucy said.

Brandish approached slowly, hands held up to show she was unarmed. She didn't pass by, instead turning to embrace Lucy one last time. They'd never really gotten along, but Brandish was family. Seeing her fight for Zeref broke Lucy's heart.

"Stay with me," she whispered.

"I'm sorry," Brandish said. "We can't stop him. No one can."

Pain lanced through Lucy's side, and for a moment she thought Brandish had punched her. Winded, Lucy dropped to her knees, clutched her stomach where the sharp heat gathered en masse.

"Brandish..."

"Forgive me. I really did love you, but what I feel and what I do are different things. Let this be a warning to you, princess."

"What're you doing, Randi? Grab the Dragneel boy! He's a monster! We have to..." Dimaria spluttered, her wounds too serious. "Stop it! Let me go!"

Brandish pulled Dimaria to her feet and together the two of them vanished, leaving Natsu and Lucy behind. Lucy considered that a victory. Though, as the familiar rush of hot blood leaked down her waist, it became gravely apparent that she had lost.

_Well, crap._

All of Lucy's heat seemed to rush to the knife in her stomach, leaving the rest of her body icy cold. She hit the ground hard, her side throbbing, her stomach heaving. Her hands moved around the knife, coming away bloody.

"Lucy?"

_Natsu?_

"Hey! Lucy! Stay with me!"

The voice she'd so recently found seemed to fail her. Lucy couldn't speak, couldn't breathe. Her hand slid across the floor, reaching for his voice, wanting to help him. To protect him.

Everything went dark.

* * *

"I've never seen anything like it," somebody said. A woman? "Wounds healing by themselves? It's unheard of."

"And you didn't use any magic at all?" Lucy recognised the second voice as Igneel's. He sounded worried.

"Herbs should be enough to stop the pain," the woman said. "She will have to wake on her own though."

"How soon?"

"Hmm. Hard to say."

"Please, Wendy. An estimate."

"We're lucky she didn't bleed to death as it is. I thought she wouldn't live through the night." Wendy clicked her tongue. "Natsu was in a bad way too. I'm amazed he carried her in such a state."

_Natsu... He was okay..._

Igneel didn't speak.

"He really won't come?" Wendy asked.

"That stubborn fool blames himself."

Lucy's mind stretched out through her body, itching for control. She had to let them know she was awake. She found her fingers, but her hands could only manage a subtle twitch. Her fingers moved one at a time.

"Look!" Igneel yelled, and his voice carried so much joy it made Lucy's heart flutter. He'd once told her that he'd wanted a daughter, but Natsu's mother had died in labour and he simply couldn't move on. A second child was out of the question. And then, of course, he'd adopted Zeref.

Lucy's eyes fluttered open, wet with tears and foggy with sleep. She drew in a breath, surprised to experience no pain.

"What happened?" she mumbled.

"Please, be still," Wendy said. She was remarkably taller than Lucy had expected, with long blue hair pinned back in twin-tails. "You suffered a serious injury."

The ceiling came into view, and Lucy realised they were in her bedroom. Floral incense burned somewhere by the window, carried into the room by a soothing breeze. She flinched as her eyes adjusted to the invasive sunlight. It was morning already?

"You were attacked. Do you remember?" Igneel asked.

Lucy rubbed her temples. "That's right..." _Brandish. _

Her hands moved to her wound, finding nothing but a scar. Lucy sprang upright. She gasped, paralyzed by momentary dizziness. She cradled her face in her hands.

"You shouldn't move too quickly," Wendy said.

Lucy lifted her shirt. "How is this possible?"

"Magic, we assume. Whoever stabbed you knew we'd remove the knife, and that the wound would shrink when we did. They didn't truly want you dead, though you came very close all the same."

Magic? But Brandish couldn't use magic...

"It seems my son wanted to send us another warning," Igneel said. He didn't have to specify _which _son.

The first warning had been crystal clear. She'd seen it with her own eyes, stared into the deep, dark depths of her dead mother's eyes.

With a final word of thanks, Igneel dismissed Wendy, and for a moment the silence of her departure was unbearable. Lucy tried to stand but he stopped her.

"He knows you're here now." Igneel placed his hand on her head. "It won't be long before he makes his move."

Lucy sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was my carelessness that almost got you killed."

"No, no. You mustn't blame yourself."

"I believe thanks are also in order. You saved my son."

"How is Natsu?" she asked. "Is he okay?"

"He's very much alive. I'm sure Zeref had his reasons for the attempted kidnapping, but it seems their objective has shifted. I believe their plans may have changed after witnessing your power."

Power? What power? She'd barely held onto her life. Barely protected the man she...

"I want to see him."

Igneel placed an affectionate hand on her shoulder, and Lucy knew the words that followed would not be easy to hear.

"He doesn't want to see you."

* * *

Natsu wasn't the same after the incident. For two weeks she struggled to stay close to him, finding it harder and harder to do her job and control her emotions at the same time. Lucy lost count of the times she'd found his room empty, or found him scuffed and bloody in Magnolia's busy streets. Starting fights wasn't in Natsu's nature, but that night had changed him. It had changed them both. The days that followed were tiresome and emotionally draining.

The evening was brisk, but Lucy stood silent in the courtyard, arms folded across her armoured chest. She saw him emerge through the maze, a small pack hanging from his shoulder. She _really _didn't want to chase him down tonight.

He froze when he saw her.

"Natsu Dragneel!" she scolded.

"Damn it, Lucy! Would you just leave me alone?"

"Did you forget I'm supposed to protect you?"

Those words cut him dead. He walked back to the castle, his pack slumping to the ground. He left it behind on purpose, hoping the weight would slow her down. She carried it into the vestibule, and Natsu sprinted for the eastern wing. She followed him to his room. He couldn't outrun her, so he simply shuffled at an agonisingly slow pace.

"How's your wound?" he asked, and it was perhaps the nicest thing he'd said to her in days.

"Healed... Thank you."

"I heard you got a pretty cool scar."

"I guess so." Though she'd rather not have any.

It was the silence that followed that left her aching. Watching his back as they walked, remembering old times. During her first year in the castle, Lucy had been too afraid to traverse the corridors by herself, so he'd always taken her hand and guided her. Back then he'd seemed so much like a prince she hadn't dared fight back when he teased her. It was like she'd never been royalty at all. Something about him had always seemed so out of reach.

Just when had she become so comfortable around him? All those years following in silence, her words sealed away like pearls in a frozen clam. One tap of his warm hand and she had opened, revealing her vulnerabilities, her soul. She wanted to feel those hands on her again, but that first night seemed to have been their last. Maybe it was for the best.

He stopped in the doorway, one hand on the frame, the other on the handle. He turned to face her. It was the first time he'd looked at her—truly looked at her—since their night in the cottage.

"You should leave," Natsu said.

"What?"

"That pack is filled with jewels," he said. "You should take it and go."

Natsu stepped into his room and swung the door closed. Lucy shoved her foot in the gap.

"How could you even say that?!"

"Get out of my sight, Lucy!"

"You're such a jerk!"

"You got hurt because of me!" he snapped.

"You know that's not true!"

"I can't..." Natsu punched the door. "I can't lose you. So just go."

Lucy threw the door open. The sound of wood hitting stone echoed through the eastern wing.

"I've never met a man as insufferable as you!" she yelled, losing control of her patience. "You sneak off in the middle of the night and cause trouble for everyone around you. Everything's a game to you… And yet you charge in recklessly to help others, even at great cost to yourself. You're a nightmare, _Prince Dragneel_." Lucy heaved a sigh, tears biting the corners of her eyes.

Natsu seemed like he wanted to say something, but he held his tongue.

"And I'm so in love with you I can't stand it."


	3. Her Resolve

**CHAPTER THREE | HER RESOLVE**

* * *

_Gotta learn to let the small things go.  
And know it's always far from perfect.  
And I know that we can get emotional.  
But the hardest parts are always worth it.  
__ 'Cause when you love her.  
__ No matter the fight, you know she's always right  
__ And that's alright.  
__ And they say love can hurt.  
__ But seein' her smile will get you every time._

* * *

"You _love _me?"

Lucy seemed to catch herself just a moment too late. She covered her mouth, her eyes wide and searching. "W-what? No! You just made me—"

"You love me," he said, and this time he said it for his own benefit.

Lucy loved him. She _loved _him. Sweet reality filled the cavities in his soul, rotting his fears, his hatred, until it melted entirely in his mind.

Their one night together had seemed like such a mistake. He'd watched her dying on the floor, his mind hazy, his body useless. She'd whispered his name so many times.

Did he deserve these feelings after everything she'd been through? Their instant connection should have been a warning, a reason to keep her at bay. But he couldn't. Stubborn as she was, Natsu _liked _Lucy. He valued their friendship. He wanted her by his side.

Suddenly he wanted to tell her everything. To divulge secrets he thought he'd never tell a living soul.

How could he have been so foolish? He'd spent the past two weeks avoiding her, running around like a headless chick, clumsy and careless and callous. He'd thought she'd quit if he gave her a hard time, that he could protect her. Zeref's men would come for him first, he was their target. Together, she was vulnerable. He'd thought he could save her if they were apart, but a selfish part of him knew the truth.

He couldn't live without her.

"Lucy..."

* * *

"Stop looking at me like that. It's humiliating."

How did she look so radiant when just days before she'd been close to death? Her hair fell in waves on her shoulders, framing her dark eyes, her flushed skin.

Natsu stepped towards her. The room seemed to stretch out longer, the stone floor rolling out between them to create an unbridgeable gap. Lucy didn't move.

He'd never known true fear until he woke that night on the cottage floor. He remembered vividly the dread of seeing her on the ground, bleeding, whispering his name in a delirious frenzy. The entire castle had been unrest when they'd seen him in the foyer, Lucy wrapped in sheets on his back, his shirt soaked in her blood.

He'd treated her so poorly after that. She must've been terrified. Lucy had always seemed lonely, though she never wanted to admit it. She never spoke of her family, of her old life, she just existed in his. Natsu stopped walking, mere inches left between them. He'd been so damn selfish.

And despite all of that, she loved him.

Natsu's face heated. The realisation crept through him, slow and dangerous. She _loved _him. She was in love with him. This impossibly stubborn, intelligent, beautiful, creative person was in love with him. She saw him at his worst, saw through his smile, and _loved him anyway_.

And she was right there.

"I'm sorry. I overstepped," she said. "But I'm your guardian, so I can't leave. I'll just stand in the corner. You can pretend I'm not here."

"I can't do that," he said.

"Of course you can. Oh, did you want me to leave? I can grab Erza..."

"Lucy, wherever you go, you'll always be with me."

It dawned on her then that he wasn't repulsed by her feelings, nor was he rejecting them. He watched the cogs turn in her mind, clicking in and out of place, trying to make her thoughts work smoothly again.

He knew he shouldn't be doing this. He was a prince. He had a kingdom to protect, and it was her job now to help him do that. He'd risk losing the whole war to keep her safe. Denying his feelings now wouldn't change that.

Moonlight flickered across the room. Shadows ghosted her face, haunting her expression. She didn't say anything, becoming placid while various emotions warred in her dark eyes.

"I'm going to fight my brother again," Natsu said. "Probably soon."

She nodded. "Yes. I know."

"I could die, Lucy."

Her mouth twisted into a scowl.

"If I die in this war, I'll regret it," he said.

She made a face that said, _Wait, how can you regret dying when you're dead_?

"It's always fun when we're together," he said. "You know that, right? All those years exploring the tunnels beneath Magnolia, teasing you at every turn. I wouldn't trade those years for anything. Not even my brother's life."

"Natsu, please..."

"I could die any day now," he said. "And if I do, I'll regret never telling you how I really feel."

"Stop it, Natsu. This isn't..."

"Lucy, I—"

"Natsu," she interrupted. "There's something you should know."

Natsu blinked. Was she changing the subject?

"What're you saying, Lucy? You started this," he said.

"I know! I just, I have to say this now. It could change everything you're about to say. So, please, just listen..." She took his silence as an invitation to speak. "The truth is, I'm not—"

Somebody cleared their throat.

Both turned to find guards in the doorway, Erza at the front, with Gray and two others behind her. Her face was unreadable.

"We have news," she said.

"News?" he asked.

Her eyes drifted to Lucy, then to Natsu, and her lips twitched into a half smile.

Oh! That news. He'd almost forgotten about the squad he'd sent that morning. They were to comb the breach for anything unusual, anything shiny, and any new bodies. Well, just one body, actually.

"Did you find her?" he asked.

"No. But we found something that might interest you, sir."

"It's a scale," Gray chimed in.

"Wait, what? Like a dragon?" Natsu asked. "Where is it?"

"It was too large to carry."

Natsu deflated. He'd always wanted to see a real dragon. The ebb of his ill-timed excitement revealed a growing tension in the room. Erza stared at Lucy, who didn't seem to blink for a solid minute.

"Who were you looking for?" she asked. And he saw in her eyes that she already knew the answer.

_I was supposed to marry her. _

Oh, crap.

"It's not what you think," he blurted.

"And what do I think?" Lucy asked, her voice quiet. Distant.

Natsu groaned inwardly. He wanted to yell out that she was the woman he loved, that he'd never marry the princess now, but Natsu's mouth snapped shut. War and emotions couldn't exist at the same time.

"We will keep searching," Erza promised.

Without a body to bury, Natsu held onto a glimmer of hope. She could still be alive, hiding. "Please do. The princess could make a difference in this war."

"You think the princess can do something an army can't?" Lucy said. Her voice cut deeper than the sword on her back, leaving him visibly wounded.

"After the attack on _our_ lives." He held her gaze a long moment, silent admonition to stay quiet. "I realised that there are people who still want to fight back. With the princess on our side, Zeref's army would gain the confidence they need to turn traitor. They would be our eyes and ears on the inside. They could attack from within."

"I concur," Erza said. "My visit to Alvarez was brief during my training days, but all the knights were fond of the princess."

Lucy hadn't said anything for some time, but Natsu could see her chewing thoughts and gulping them down. She shifted the weight from one foot to the next, her arms folded, her back tense.

"And what if she's dead?" she asked finally.

Natsu stared at her. It wasn't like Lucy to be so cynical. "Then we form another plan."

"I will extend our search beyond the breach," Erza said. "Gajeel's group were headed for the southern wall."

Erza saluted farewell, taking the others with her.

When the door swung shut, Natsu turned to Lucy, a candlewick of rage burning in his blood. "What the heck was that about?"

Lucy showed no sign of emotion. "Which part?"

"You just..." He sighed. "Forget it. Come with me."

"Where are we going? I must advise against you wandering so late at night."

"The library."

He saw the question in her eyes: _Why_?

"I need your mind," he said.

Lucy visibly flushed. "Okay."

They followed the corridor until they reached the library at the far end of the wing, wooden doors arched with golden vines and round, polished handles. Lucy loved the main library, and Natsu was eager to see her face when she stepped inside. Her expression never disappointed.

He nudged the door and Lucy stepped inside, gaze darting about in a flutter of quiet excitement. She scanned shelves and statues, her gaze resting on the marble fireplace on the western wall. She lit a lantern there, a soft pool of light illuminating the floor.

Natsu shut the door behind them. He gestured to the loveseat. She sat immediately, if only because she'd exhausted her rebellious nature in their spat.

"What are you going to read?" she asked.

Her face glowed in the lamplight. She fidgeted with her tunic, twisting the cotton around her fingers. She was nervous to be alone with him.

Natsu's heart gave a long, heavy leap.

"Not me," he said. "You." He withdrew Zeref's journal from his trouser pocket.

"I thought you didn't want to read that."

Natsu shrugged. "There's something I can't stand to lose now."

"Really?"

Natsu raised a brow.

Lucy groaned. "This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you." Her little smile betrayed her true feelings. All the books in Natsu's library couldn't describe how much he loved that smile.

He set the journal in her lap and sat beside her. Lucy shuffled closer, tracing the cracked binding with two hands.

"Do you still wish to save him?" she asked.

Natsu didn't answer. He guided her hands along the cover and flicked the book open, spreading it clean in her lap. Her gaze snapped to his.

"Natsu, I read some of this. It wasn't helpful. Or good."

"Is it dated?" he asked, stealing a glance for himself.

She tapped a series of numbers. "Yes."

"How many years?"

"About ten," she confessed. "His entries are quite short. The ones I read, anyway."

"I need you to go back eight."

Lucy scanned the entries of that year quickly, summarising each one as she went. Natsu stopped her when she reached the final page.

_I must study the nature of these lacrima, determine their purpose. Acnologia's power is astounding. The cave collapsed, yet here I am. Alive. I felt the walls crush me. Felt the life bleed from my veins. I saved my brother. That's all that matters. That's all that should matter. But I am born anew. Acnologia fills me with more and more power every day._

_Blood or no blood, I will protect Natsu from this monstrosity. Somehow. _

Natsu rubbed his forehead. Pieces of thought seemed to have been chopped up, their jagged ends crammed together to make a whole picture. He didn't understand it.

Lucy seemed at a loss for words.

The room chilled. Zeref had saved him that night? But when? Natsu barely remembered anything after the lacrima exploded. He tried again to recall that night, but the fog only cleared for him in dreams.

"I don't get it," he said. "Acnologia? What's that?"

"Not a what," she said, and the chilled air turned icy, so cold he had to summon magic to warm himself. "_Who_."

"What?"

"Acnologia is a name passed down in legends," she said. "It's written on walls all over the Alvarez castle."

"All over the castle?" Wait, when did she go to the castle?

"But that's impossible. I thought he was a myth. It can't be real, can it? My mother..."

Natsu nodded along, not really understanding. "So who is Acnologia?"

"He was the first dragon to exist in our time," she said. "He was also human. A tyrant. He ruled Alvarez before Anna Heartfilia sealed him away. All the Heartfilia women are blessed with her power, though it dilutes over time."

Anna Heartfilia? Power? His head hurt just thinking about it.

"She sealed him away?"

"I guess you could say she tore him to pieces. She sealed him in the castle's great lacrima and then destroyed it, scattering the pieces across Fiore."

Natsu stared at her. "And he was a... What? A human dragon?"

"Dragons aren't born like most people think. They're created by raw magic, highly concentrated bursts of ethernano. One lacrima wasn't enough for Acnologia. He uncovered thousands of them and fused them together. The power was too much for his people, many of them died. But those who didn't became..."

"Dragons," Natsu breathed.

"The dragons died out when the lacrima disappeared. What you found in that cave can only be described as a phenomenon."

"How do you know all this?" he asked.

"We should read ahead," she deflected. "Look, his handwriting changes here. Perhaps you're right and he really isn't himself."

Something in her gaze now was haunted. Lucy seemed to be in two places at once, tethered between her thoughts and reality. She turned page after page, searching. They read through the near-incoherent scribbles before they found another entry, scrawled in Zeref's own hand.

_I must have the One Magic. It is the only way to save my brother._

Natsu turned the page.

_Everything I touch dies. Everything. I want to see him. I want to see my brother, but I'm afraid of what will happen when I do._

They continued reading, skipping pages of incoherent text.

"Wait, that's impossible…" Lucy leafed through pages, pausing near the back of the journal. "Natsu, these entries are dated after I found the book. See, this one was written yesterday."

Natsu leaned in, suddenly aware of how close they'd become. His cheek brushed hers, but the weight of her words made his fluttering heart drop like an anchor. This writing was bolder, clearer. It was Zeref.

_The princess is alive! She can stop this madness! We must go to her. Only she can make Natsu see the truth. _

"The princess is alive..." Natsu's throat tightened. "She's in danger."

Lucy fell silent, no longer reading aloud. Her eyes scanned the page, soaking up words like a plant needing sunlight to breathe. Her fingers moved quickly, flicking page after page. Natsu gave up hope of keeping up with her.

"This journal is tied to Zeref's mind," she said. "No, to Acnologia." Lucy paused, tapping a newer entry. "Look here, where the writing changes. You can distinguish one mind from the next." Her face brightened in an almost twisted way. "This is great, Natsu. We can determine his next move with this."

Natsu squinted. She was right. Among passages of messy scrawl, Zeref's neat handwriting emerged again. His brother and Acnologia were connected? That meant Zeref wasn't to blame for his actions. He could be saved! Couldn't he?

_Natsu. Brother. This is my last resort. _Lucy paused to catch her breath, tears dripping onto her face. Natsu brushed her cheek. _I need you to finish this, brother. I need this to end. Kill me, or I'll destroy everything you love. I'll end the world so that he can't have it. _

_Father was right to keep secrets. A monster's blood runs through me. The Heartfilia girl and I were destined to clash._

"He left the journal there for you," Lucy said, and the realisation crushed both of them in its cold fist.

_I know why you hesitated, brother. It is not your fault. My death could not have stopped it. What happened in the breach, those men, you couldn't have known. The seed that grows within you is too strong. _

"What is he talking about?" Lucy asked.

Natsu flashed back in time. He felt the biting cold on his flesh, inhaled the sickening stench of blood and viscera. Gales of wind banished the smoke and ash, swallowed the heat of magic with a violent wail.

He'd lost control. Hundreds of bodies surrounded him in the crater. He'd blacked out for just a second. Just one long, fatal second. It had been enough to cost him everything. To cost him the war. His men. Zeref's men. Dead.

Those who survived fled, screaming about monsters.

'The etherious was compatible,' his older brother had said.

And then Zeref had begged for death.

Natsu had refused, and now more people were dead because of him, and many more were soon to lose their lives. Natsu had continued living for seven long years, continued lying, letting people blame his brother for the deaths of their loved ones. It was his fault. Zeref had been trying to warn him, to tell him. But Natsu hadn't listened. He'd loved the feel of the flames on his skin, loved swallowing down fire and throwing it out in waves of immense power. He'd craved it.

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have gone to the breach that day. I should've let him go. I just couldn't understand it."

"What are you talking about, Natsu? If you hadn't tried to stop him, more people would have died. Because of you, many citizens in Alvarez were able to flee in time."

"Zeref didn't create the breach, Lucy. I did."

Zeref had always known Natsu would lose control of his magic. He'd known, and so he'd led his brother to the border, where they'd fought their stupid war.

It was all his fault. Zeref had been so sure something was wrong with Natsu. It was like he'd loved the destruction. Just being near Zeref had set his heart aflame, his mind racing. He'd fought with him so much, and always over petty things. But even the smallest pebbles could create waves when thrown hard enough.

Lucy stood slowly, her eyes wet with anguish. The repulsion in her face set like poisonous cement, paralyzing him. He knew what she was thinking. The breach's destruction hadn't ended at the river. A single burst of power had spread across Fiore, shattering houses, sending quakes through the land. Most of Alvarez had crumbled because of it.

He stood to console her, but Lucy stepped away, her eyes growing wide as the pieces fell into place, clicking together in a mess of feeling in her mind. He saw every emotion twisting in her brown eyes, glistening wet with tears and betrayal.

Natsu hesitated. "I lost so many people, Lucy," he said. "I can't lose you too."

"I lost people too, Natsu! My people died in your war! They died for you! They believed in you!" She threw out a hand, stopping his approach. "My people came to your aid when they read your father's letter. He was so worried about his sons. So angry, so grieved. He'd promised a truce if we fought, promised to end the tension once and for all. He wanted to protect you. But I guess we were the ones who needed protecting."

His mouth opened, but Natsu could only stare. In all their years together, he'd never really looked at the girl behind the armour and seen her as vulnerable or broken. He'd overlooked the magnitude of her despair. He'd never tried to look beneath the surface of what she showed him, into the shadows cast within her light.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Her eyes were liquid steel now, dark and unreadable, but her fragile smile had a softness to it that told him it was okay to be hurt. And they were both hurting. He saw in her eyes that she wanted to forgive him. He didn't deserve it.

He saw a flicker of uncertainty in her face now, like she wanted to retreat from the conversation, to forget it entirely, but the burden of her thoughts was so heavy she needed to share it before it crushed her.

Wait, what had she meant by _her people_?

"Your destruction took everything from me, Natsu. The outer walls of the castle were exposed because of the power you created. My parents..."

Natsu's eyes widened. "You're..."

"I never formally introduced myself to you. I think it's time that I did," she said. The anguish in her voice lanced through him. "I am Lucy Heartfilia, princess of the Alvarez kingdom."

Natsu's mind balked, the horror seizing him in a spiral of doubt and confusion. She couldn't be...

He approached her first, but Lucy took another step backwards. She wasn't finished relinquishing her emotional burden.

"You and your brother took everything from me."

* * *

Natsu stared at the wall of his bedroom, counted the chips in every stone. Life thrummed in the castle. He heard voices in the halls, listened to the knights laugh and yell before their morning drills. He picked at his nails, wondering where he'd gone wrong, wondering how he'd been so oblivious.

Natsu hadn't slept a wink.

Lucy sat in silence at the foot of his bed, her back to the wall, clutching her sword to her chest. Darkness festered in her eyes. He'd tried desperately to make things right, begged her to listen, implored her forgiveness. It didn't matter that Zeref was dangerous, or that Acnologia would have killed people anyway. As far as Lucy was concerned, he'd lit the match that ignited her forest. Her world.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

Lucy didn't respond. Silent once more, and this time it was Natsu who'd stolen her voice.

They didn't have time for this. Zeref was searching for Lucy. He was probably on his way to Magnolia right now, his army swollen with power. They'd lose if they fought like this, morale so low between the only people that could stop him.

"More people will die if we don't do something," he said. "We have to evacuate the city."

"I wanted to tell you the truth," she whispered.

"Me too," he said. "You're the only person I wanted to tell my secrets to."

Hearing her voice again fired him up. Natsu beckoned her closer, and despite her consternation, Lucy obliged. She sat cross-legged on his bed, her gaze just as vacant. She knew what was at stake.

"I'm sorry, Lucy."

Lucy sighed, wobbled, and collapsed on his shoulder. Hot tears dripped onto his bare chest.

"I hate myself so much. I want to hate you, to blame you. But I can't." Lucy sobbed, and though he yearned to comfort her, Natsu didn't dare push his luck. His hands fell limp at his sides. He could only listen to her grief.

"Maybe I should have stayed quiet," she said. "Everything was so easy then. Life seemed so simple when all I did was follow you around those stupid tunnels."

Natsu's heart leapt. "Lucy, that's it."

"What?" She raised her head.

"The tunnels! We can evacuate the castle and the city. Zeref will bring the fight to our front door. It's his nature to put pride over reason."

Lucy stared at him and he saw at last a returning flicker of light. Of hope.

"You're the best, Lucy!"

And without thinking he kissed her.

Lucy's mouth opened, embarrassment and confliction painting her face a deep red.

"Natsu, I..."

He kissed her again, desperate, her warmth seeping through him. She returned the kiss, her hands cradling his face, their secrets splitting apart at the seams.

"We have to stop him," she breathed.

Natsu hummed against her mouth. She'd realised it, too. That this could be the last time they were together like this. One of them could die soon. Tomorrow. The next day. They lived on fragile time.

She drew back, her lips quivering, her body trembling. Her mouth ghosted his in another kiss, and he knew she wanted to continue. Natsu threaded his hands through her hair, pulling her closer, tasting her sorrows and kissing them clean.

Lucy pushed his chest. "Natsu... Listen..."

"Whatever it is, I don't care. You're Lucy. Princess or not, I don't care."

"Natsu, wait. I have to tell you—" Though she smacked his chest, Lucy didn't stop kissing him. "Please. This is important."

Lucy broke their kiss, but Natsu leaned in closer, stealing her lips for one more, and another, and another, until finally she pushed him away. He couldn't help it. His forehead touched hers, the closeness intoxicating. He wanted to kiss her again.

Panting, her hands fell away from his chest. "As nice as this is, I have to ruin the moment once again," she said.

Natsu grimaced. "What is it?"

"I have something to tell you."

Natsu held her gaze now, searching her mind. She took his hands on the bed, tracing his fingers with her thumbs. This couldn't end well.

"When your brother invaded the castle, I didn't escape right away. I was taken captive in my own home. I watched him do horrific things to people. For days."

Natsu winced. Regardless of his personal feelings, Zeref had done unspeakable things, horrible things, and his brother had to face the consequences sooner or later. If this was her idea of a pep talk, however, it wasn't working. Her tone made him uneasy.

"What is it, Lucy? You're kinda freakin' me out."

She echoed his nervous laugh. "I kind of killed him."

"You _what_? How do you kind of—"

"He's not dead."

"Lucy, you've totally lost me. What are you—"

"I killed Zeref, Natsu. I killed him and he didn't die."

Natsu felt like someone was pulling his brain apart. The more he learned of this whole ordeal, the less he wanted to know.

"Lucy, what are you talking about?"

"Acnologia," she said. "If he really possessed your brother, my power isn't enough to kill him. I tried, Natsu. I really tried to save my parents. To save my people. But I wasn't enough. And now you want me to run into a war with you? I can't... I'm not strong enough. I watched him die, Natsu. He was so cold. His heart wasn't even beating anymore. I thought it was over. But he just brushed himself off and stood. I barely escaped with my life."

Natsu grabbed her hands. "You're strong, Lucy. Maybe he doesn't need to die. Maybe there's another way for us to set things right. We can do this. All of us. Me and you. Fairy Tail. We'll save Fiore once and for all."

"Natsu... I don't know what to do..."

Natsu squeezed her hands. "Marry me, Lucy. Today. Right now."

* * *

The final chapter will be uploaded in a couple of hours (after a hasty little rewrite)! Stay tuned!


	4. His Hand

**CHAPTER FOUR | HIS HAND**

* * *

_All that's made me is all worth trading  
Just to have one moment with you  
So I will let go with all that I know  
Knowing that you're here with me  
For your love is changing me.  
May I hold you as you fall to sleep  
When the world is closing in and you can't breathe  
May I love you, may I be your shield  
When no one can be found may I lay you down?_

* * *

All's fair in love and war, except when you're trying to get married. Servants and knights whisked Natsu in and out of his bedroom, some delivering orders, others measuring his waist, his shoulders, and anything else that would fit into _his suit_. Lucy caught fragments of conversation as he went, dizzy from his constant movement.

When his blur finally stopped, servants shuffled in and out, bringing fabrics and assorted sewing materials and setting them by his feet. The only woman remaining was a guest of the king. Mirajane Strauss. She rolled a pale swatch of fabric over her fingers and made a sound akin to disapproval.

She was a remarkably beautiful woman, snow-white hair tumbling down her back, blue eyes piercing and bright. A single scar parted her left eyebrow, a discoloured line sweeping down towards her cheek in a vertical crescent. It seemed everyone in this city had one scar or another, be it physical or not.

Lucy stretched her sore limbs, tense from a long, sleepless night. "I'm not no sure this is a good idea," she said.

"I think it's a great idea. In fact—" Natsu scowled. "_Ow. _Shit, Mira. That hurts."

Mirajane grinned, lace and pins and thread held up like weapons between her fingers. "Move again, my lord, and I'm afraid it'll hurt even worse the next time."

Lucy grinned. The Strauss siblings were famous for their skills with fabric, but more-so for their roles in the Dragneel War. Between them, Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman had saved hundreds of lives. They'd retired shortly after the great battle, with Lisanna nursing grave injuries, and Elfman blaming himself. According to Mirajane, Lisanna had been quite the equestrian before the war paralysed her legs. She had taught Natsu how to ride.

Lucy had delivered flowers to their home on Igneel's behest more than once, and thought herself comfortable with the siblings. Until one of them started pointing pins at her.

Despite the short notice, Mira had jumped at the opportunity to help Natsu prepare for his wedding. Though, watching her work, Lucy couldn't help wondering if Mirajane still harbored some old resentment after the war.

"Maybe you should ease up a little bit," Lucy said.

Mira's gaze snapped to Lucy. "Don't worry, your highness. You're next."

"O-on second thought, you're fine."

_Your highness_. Lucy hadn't been called that in so long. After hearing the truth of her identity, the knights had each dropped to their knees, bowing and whispering in awe. Lucy couldn't stand the formality. She was but one girl in a world with thousands of others. She wanted their bonds to remain simple. She was just a girl they helped long ago, and a girl who loved them. She was one of them now.

"I almost cried when I heard the news," Mirajane said. "I could hardly believe it. Natsu Dragneel, our beloved prince, finally settling down. And in the middle of a war, no less. You sure pick your timing."

In truth, the past seven years hadn't felt much like a war. They still referred to the great battle as the Dragneel War, as though Zeref wasn't still committing horrors to the south. But this was indeed a time for war. And soon that war would be charging through their front door, clad in armour and magic Lucy didn't understand.

"Zeref always liked to make a grand entrance," Natsu said, as though plucking the name from her thoughts. "I figured he'd jump at the chance to interrupt my wedding."

Lucy pursed her lips. "You know, this is _not_ how I pictured my wedding day."

"Oh, so you're the spoiled princess type?" he teased.

"You know, I never _actually _said yes. I could change my mind at any time."

Natsu barked a laugh. "Will you still marry me, princess?"

Heat bloomed in Lucy's face. She tossed a chess piece, the marble clinking hard on the stone floor. Natsu burst into laughter as he swatted it away.

Mirajane shot Lucy a stern look. "With all due respect, princess, if you can't behave then I'll have to ask you to leave. You're distracting Natsu, and it's becoming very difficult to sew like this."

Lucy patted her warm cheeks. "Forget it. I'll wait outside!"

She stepped into the corridor, leaving the door ajar. Natsu's voice drifted out of the room, his laughter ringing pleasantly through the eastern wing. Everything had happened so quickly. Lucy couldn't really register what was going on. She'd sat on his bedroom floor all night, picking at her nails, chewing her fingers. She'd wanted to forgive him sooner. She'd tried. But the pins in her heart could not be removed by kindness alone.

She loved him. She would always love him. And this marriage was proof of her dedication to that love. But she might never forget the things he told her, the secrets he'd confessed. She couldn't blame Natsu for her own weakness, nor could she blame him for things out of his control. The frustration had almost killed her.

Rocking back on her heels, Lucy leaned against the stone wall and admired the many statues decorating the eastern wing. Igneel collected the strangest things, proclaiming art to be his secret obsession. He'd told Lucy there was no greater magic than creation. Maybe he was right. She'd once found him gazing at the wall in his study, transfixed with the stonework. It had seemed strange to her at the time. When she'd asked him why he was staring, Igneel had simply said, "Aren't castles tremendous things?"

He was right. She'd give anything to see Alvarez in its prime one last time. Every building had been a piece of art, unique to the family that built it. And the castle. _Oh_, how beautiful it had been. The Heartfilia home had been truly special indeed.

She remembered the castle's winding halls and the lavish blue carpets woven with splatters of iridescent silver. Growing up, Lucy had imagined walking among the stars, those little speckles of silver seeming to dance under her small feet.

More impressive was her mother's private library, and the spiraling staircase leading high into the observatory. Her mother had loved the stars. Lucy had spent so much time there, curled up in her mother's lap, falling asleep to stories of constellations, to myths of magicians from decades long past. Even her father would sometimes sneak into the tower at night and fall asleep to the sound of her mother's voice.

Lucy's heart dropped. She missed them so much.

With a promise to return with Lucy's dress, Mirajane departed the room, grinning with a terrifying satisfaction. Lucy stared at the empty corridor a while longer, shaking the fog of memories, and the subtle ache of missing home.

Was she really going to get married today? Just like that?

Of course she was.

Unable to contain her excitement, Lucy threw his door open. Natsu flinched, barely holding his pants to his naked crotch. Lucy squealed, covered her eyes, and slammed the door. And then, remembering her position as his guard, she opened it again and shuffled inside.

"It's not like you haven't seen it before," he muttered.

Lucy couldn't swallow the lump in her throat. "Stupid Natsu."

He grinned. "What's the matter, Lucy?" Didn't get a good look the first—"

Lucy kicked his side, and Natsu rolled onto the ground, laughing and holding his ribs. Lucy groaned. He really was insufferable.

"_Anyway_," she snapped. "Why are you naked in the first place?!"

"Mira said the success of the wedding night is determined by the undergarments, so I was changing into… What? What's with that face?"

Lucy's entire body trembled with an amalgam of heat and amusement. She choked back a laugh and, barely holding herself together, said, "She was teasing you."

Now it was Natsu who visibly blushed. "What's with everyone today?"

"First of all, we might not even _get _a wedding night. Second, they're happy for you. And your happiness is a distraction from the truth. All those people gathering in the courtyard, all the knights scouring the tunnels, they know they might never see you again. Most of them won't even get to see you marry."

Natsu's expression soured, his gaze dropped to the floor. It seemed he'd gotten so caught up in the wedding he'd overlooked the bigger picture. They'd rushed the wedding for one purpose: to give the people an excuse to gather in one place. A celebration of this magnitude meant they could usher people through the tunnels without raising any alerts. Zeref would find an empty city and know exactly why.

Lucy peered through the window and stared into Magnolia's heart. Knights disguised as civilians wandered the streets, participating in the customary festivities. The bait to Zeref's toxic lure. Lucy would probably never see them again.

The castle's city looked so beautiful at dawn. Orange and blue skies crested the horizon, the canals glittering like diamond encrusted walkways. None of the boats would be out today.

Silence weighed heavy on them both, raising its gavel and casting final judgement. There was no turning back.

Lucy found the long night wearing on her. She still needed to sift through her emotions. Looking at Natsu made her angry, it made her sad, but it also made her happy. She hadn't forgiven him just yet, but she also couldn't blame him. He wasn't himself, either. Whatever happened in that cave had changed them both. She knew him, and in knowing him she could trust this feeling.

She yawned and Natsu yawned with her, fingers clumsy as he buttoned up his shirt. They laughed together, and as they laughed she yawned again. The cycle continued until finally Natsu turned away.

"I was shocked when you asked me to marry you," Lucy said. "Mira's right, your timing does suck."

Natsu glanced over his shoulder. "I think I've wanted to marry you since you showed up at our door, bleeding and silent."

Lucy smiled, but something more pressing came to mind. "It's true, isn't it? Zeref's army is already on its way here."

"Yes. Erza's scouts returned this morning. Zeref's army has already cleared the breach."

Lucy mulled on that for a moment. "You know, I get that Acnologia wants the lacrima. I understand that he's out for revenge and Zeref is undoubtedly a part of his bloodline…" She couldn't quite place the thought. Something didn't feel right. "But why is he bringing the fight here?"

Natsu's original intention was to meet Zeref at the breach one last time. They were going to finish this away from the castle. Away from the livelihood of his people. But after his initial proposal, and Lucy's moment of shock, they'd sat near his little map and suddenly all of the chess pieces were in one place: the castle.

"My father said it himself this morning" he said.

Lucy chewed her bottom lip. After accepting the proposal and creating a plan, they'd discussed the stratagem with Igneel. She didn't want to be the reason Magnolia castle got destroyed, but it was highly likely that Zeref's interest had shifted. Lucy was a greater threat now, or so he thought. She was paying for Anna's heroics.

"Don't worry about it, Lucy," Natsu said, and his smile dissolved the worst of her fears. "All we have to do is win."

"Oh, sure. It's that easy."

"I'm all fired up. This time, for sure, I'll protect everyone." He said everyone, but he was looking directly at her.

"I know you will."

Though she smiled, Lucy was chained to her doubts, starved of understanding. Zeref, Acnologia, they wouldn't walk so easily into a trap. There had to be a reason. Just how quickly could the scouts spread word? It took at least six hours to reach the breach on horseback. Unhindered, Zeref would be here by noon.

Was the wedding really so tempting of a fight? Did he want bloodshed that badly? Or was it truly her fault?

Lucy chewed her lip until it bled, beads of copper-tinged concern dripping on her tongue. She sighed. Natsu noticed.

"By the way, my old man said he wanted to see you," he said.

"I can't leave you, Natsu."

Mirajane burst into the room like a ghost summoned back to life. "Actually, you_ should_ leave. You've already created too much bad luck by seeing each other before the wedding," she said, and Lucy wondered just how long she'd been listening. "Natsu, c'mere, I found the perfect little buttons and I just _have _to sew them on your vest."

Lucy sucked her sore lip. "I don't know…"

Mirajane took Lucy's hand and gave it a firm, reassuring squeeze. "Your grace, I fought in the Dragneel War and returned with just one scar. Your husband is safe in my care. There's nothing I can't do with these pins."

"Future husband," Natsu said, as though their wedding wasn't happening in the next hour or so.

_Husband._ Lucy shivered.

"I won't be long," she acquiesced, if only because she might not get the chance to speak with Igneel again.

"See that you're not," Mira said. "I have the perfect gown for you to wear."

* * *

Lucy found Igneel in his private study, stewing over parchments and books. She knocked and he beckoned her in.

"It seems our plan has changed. My son will arrive long before dusk," he said, and it felt like Lucy's whole world had crumbled. "Erza tells me his army wields unspeakable magic. Your knights live up to their reputations."

"Your majesty, if I may be so blunt as to say they are no longer my knights, but when they were, none of them could wield magic. Only the royal family of Alvarez wields the Old Magic, and it fades with every generation." She smiled, and it was a smile that knew only hardships. "Our kingdoms were divided by this fact."

The Heartfilia family was blessed with an innate magic for centuries, or perhaps it was better to view it as a curse. Their power might have saved Fiore from Acnologia once, but it brought temptation. Magnolia's people feared the lacrima when Acnologia died, and they began to fear magic all the same. They'd attempted to wipe it from history.

However, as time passed, Magnolia realised their mistake. By rejecting magic and refusing to study the lacrima fragments, by choosing ignorance, they were completely vulnerable to Alvarez. Should the Heartfilia heirs choose war: Magnolia would lose.

How could a kingdom devoid of magic not feel threatened by one that could? After years of battles and bloodshed, Lucy's ancestors had established a truce with the Dragneel families and Fiore had seen peace for a while. It seemed ironic now that the newest war was between Magnolia's own brothers instead.

Igneel didn't seem bothered by Lucy's skills, despite his family history. But of course, Igneel hadn't been the heir to the throne. His wife had. She'd barely taken her role as queen before she died, and now Igneel was simply warming the throne for his son. A Dragneel by name, nothing more.

After his sons were exposed to lacrima, he had no need to worry about Lucy's inheritance. Natsu's flames were just as deadly as the Heartfilia magic, and Zeref…

He was like Death himself.

After a long pause, Igneel let out a breath. "There is something you must see."

He turned to the vacant stone wall, and for a moment Lucy remembered their conversation about castles and history. It was the only section unperturbed by shelves of books and valuable decor. Igneel pressed a stone in the wall, the entire room quaking with unseen power. Lucy sensed the magic deep within the walls, felt it brim with life.

Impossible.

"This way." He gestured to the newly formed hole in the wall, so small Igneel had to crouch in order to enter the narrow passage.

Of course there were more tunnels in this damned labyrinth of a castle.

He led Lucy deep into the underbelly of the castle, cold air and darkness rushing to meet them. Igneel sparked a lantern and the passage roared to life, exposing a mouth at the end of the tunnel. Lucy's heart plunged through her boots. The cold steel of her armour felt suddenly sharp and thick, like blocks of ice weighing her down, cooling her blood.

They entered a tall chamber with seemingly endless walls. The base of a tower, she realised, and given the length of their walk, probably the western wing. At the centre of this tower, held in by brackets, was an enormous lacrima. And in the very centre of the crystal, shimmering beautifully in the ethernano, was a woman.

Pink hair spilled around the naked figure, her hands clasped in prayer. She wore nothing but a white scarf draped around her shoulders. She was undoubtedly dead, but the power exuding from her body, from the crystal, was unbelievable.

"He looks like her, doesn't he?" Igneel said.

Lucy couldn't speak. Couldn't think.

"His mother died in birth. It was a tragedy, truly. And it was my fault."

Lucy didn't understand. The Dragneels were throwing secrets at her like knives from each side. She was going to bleed out eventually.

"Natsu spoke of my injuries during our discussions of war," Igneel said. "It's true I almost lost my arm during their clash at the breach, but this scar isn't from Zeref. It's from the Great War of Ancients."

Lucy blinked rapidly. The Great War was Magnolia's name for the Beast's War, when Anna Heartfilia disposed of Acnologia and ended the dragons once and for all. But that was hundreds of years ago.

Igneel touched the lacrima. "Natsu was the first dragon conceived in a human womb. The lacrima calls to him, sends him into a frenzy. Zeref believes his brother is as infected as he is, but that's impossible. Dragons were created by the power left by their ancestors. Humans today cannot live through that power. The dragon seed eventually kills them. But Natsu's blood is my blood. The lacrima cannot change him, it simply pollutes what he is."

"Like a magical enhancer," she said, and then the words struck her all at once. Lucy's knees buckled. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Igneel was a dragon? From Anna's timeline? And Natsu was…

"My wife could not survive the seed. My son poisoned her. She knew her fate, but she loved him anyway, even without seeing his face. She survived long enough to give birth to my boy, and he is the greatest gift she ever gave me."

"And… And you sealed her away?" Lucy managed.

"Her body crystallized and the growth could not be contained. Her soul lives on in the crystal, but I have not the power to free her." Igneel turned to Lucy. "But you can."

"But why now?" _And why me_?

"If Zeref wins this war, there is no telling what he would do with this kind of power. He can't have it." Igneel hesitated. "And you need it more."

"What?"

"Consider it a wedding gift. Your magic has faded over the years thanks to Acnologia's curse. Anna was exposed to the lacrima too much, and it rots your magic over generations. This lacrima will give you the power you need to win this fight."

"Shouldn't Natsu be here for this? Why are you telling me?"

"I no longer have the strength I need to transform. I put all my heart and soul into being a father to that boy. To both of them. In truth, I sensed something wrong with Zeref from the start. Acnologia's blood runs through him, but just as Acnologia started out human, so did Zeref. He is no dragon, and so I thought I could save him."

"You knew about the lacrima in the cave, didn't you?" Lucy realised.

Igneel nodded sadly. "Those boys were destined to clash, always outrunning the knights and disappearing on adventures. The lacrima uncovered Natsu's hidden magic, but it corrupted Zeref. Acnologia's powers are a curse. He kills everything he touches. And now my boy suffers the same fate, his mind warped by fragments of that man's power."

Lucy clasped a fist at her side. "I will free your wife," she said. "But under one condition."

Igneel's expression softened. "Yes, daughter?"

"When Zeref attacks, take Natsu into the tunnels and go."

Igneel stared at her a long while. "You would die to protect him?"

"Yes, if it spares him the pain of facing Zeref one last time. He's a good man, and not a man willing to defeat his brother."

"Will you kill him?" Igneel asked.

"Yes," Lucy said. "If that's what it takes."

* * *

The ceremony was fast and simple. Servants had done what they could with the ballroom in such little time, and it was as elegant as anything she'd ever seen. Lucy's gown had no trail, but the lace hugged her curves perfectly, the skirts loose enough that she could fight if she had to. It dipped low in her chest, exposing the key to her mother's observatory around her neck. It was the only thing they'd found on her body.

Lucy walked on Igneel's arm and he offered her to Natsu, his eyes filled with tears that went beyond joy. Levy pronounced them married in mere moments, and the knights who remained—Fairy Tail's strongest fighters—applauded and cheered as though their worlds weren't about to end.

Natsu took her into his arms and kissed her, and for a moment Lucy forgot all about the war.

"Are you sure we don't have time for a wedding night?" he whispered.

Lucy bit back her retort. She'd likely never have time for anything again. But he would. There was no sense in both of them dying now. This was her fight. It was her duty as a Heartfilia. And now, wielding the power of his mother, Lucy could finally stand a chance.

"I have something for you," Igneel said, when the knights began to gather around them.

Natsu embraced his father, and Igneel draped a white scarf around his neck as delicately as if he were a flower, and the slightest movement would shake off all his petals.

"What's this?" he asked.

"I know we're enduring a heatwave," Igneel said, and the knights laughed, fanning their faces. "But this belonged to your mother."

Lucy swallowed down her secrets and let them burn in the acid of her stomach. She had no reason to tell him the truth now. He could be safe and live a happy life with no regrets, and more deaths on his hands.

"They're early!" a man yelled from the doorway.

"Lucy! It's time!" Natsu said.

Lucy's gaze slid to Igneel, and the king made true to his word. He whispered something in Natsu's ear, and her new husband looked torn. He kissed her goodbye and promised to return as quickly as he could, begging the other knights to protect her. Only Igneel could make him go.

"Don't let Zeref into the castle," Lucy said, and she motioned for the knights to follow her outside.

Zeref sat alone in the courtyard, dipping bloody fingers in the fountain's basin. He smiled when he saw her coming. This wasn't a man anymore.

"Overconfidence is what killed you the first time," Lucy said, but her voice trembled, betraying layers of fear thick in her throat.

Zeref laughed, but the sound seemed almost inhuman. Looking at him now, Lucy thought he seemed gentle. He wore a black ensemble that gave his skin a sickly pale hue, as though he were just a corpse and all she had to do was bury him.

"I didn't come to fight," he said. "I don't have to."

Twelve guards appeared behind him, each one clad in a special black armour, the Dragneel crest etched into their shoulders.

"You don't intend to fight? You brought an army to our door," Erza said.

"I dismissed my army and brought only personal guards. You should be thanking me. The Spriggan Twelve are simply here to protect me, should you choose to attack unprovoked," he said.

Unprovoked? Lucy's skin bristled. Her mind flashed to the deaths of her parents. She almost lost it right there, the rage loose in her fist. She snatched it up again and, drawing her sword, stared into the man's black eyes.

"I don't need to fight. Coming here was enough, princess. I can't stop it," he said, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

"Look at the trees!" Erza called.

Lucy staggered backwards. Leaves burst to ash, dissolving to nothing as a sickening blackness swallowed the courtyard, killing everything it touched.

"I just wanted to see him one more time," Zeref said.

"You can't," Lucy snapped.

"Where is my brother?"

Zeref stood, and Lucy was suddenly grateful for Natsu's absence. He didn't move, but his twelve guards rushed forward, Brandish hidden among them. Steel clashed all around her.

"I won't ask you again," he said. "Bring Natsu to me."

"He's already gone," Lucy said.

"You lie!"

The rot of death swept towards her in waves, closing in at every angle.

"Forgive me, Natsu," she whispered.

Listening to the melody of swords behind her, Lucy summoned borrowed power, let it spill from her body in pulses of bright, white light. It enveloped her, and Zeref stepped back, repelled like a lone shadow.

"I am to be your adjudicator, Zeref Dragneel," she said, and the world turned to haze around her.

"Please," he said, and it was so sincere that Lucy's heart broke. But it was too late. The spell was invoked.

"Final Judgement: Fairy Law."

She saw recognition in Zeref's eyes, in Acnologia's soul, and the fearsome dragon they'd once been so afraid of screamed bloody murder. Magic exploded from Lucy's body, illuminating a single pillar in the ground, banishing death from every corner.

She collapsed to her knees, the borrowed power expunged, and wept the tears she'd held contained.

"My lord!" a voice called, and Lucy's head snapped up.

Zeref stood unscathed, checking his body in clear shock. It took him a moment to realise he was _alive_.

"No!" Lucy screamed. _She'd failed again. _"But how—"

Zeref burst into laughter, but it was a sound so dark it seemed to devour the midday sun. Lucy's strength failed her. She couldn't stand, her sword a worthless hunk of steel in her trembling fist.

"Fairy Law only works when you view the target as your enemy," he said. "And your feelings for Zeref's brother have blinded you. Your humanity, your guilt, will be your destruction."

"Acnologia!"

He raised a single hand, and the Spriggan Twelve suddenly collapsed, their bodies writhing in unspeakable pain. Magic pored through Zeref, too much for his human body, seeping out through his skin like cracks in a vase.

"I spent years training them with the lacrima," he said. "All for this."

Zeref moved so quickly Lucy couldn't even hear his steps.

"Lucy!" Erza appeared at her side, but her blade wasn't enough to stop his attack.

It was not Zeref who came down upon her now, but Acnologia's beastly form. The dragon bellowed a roar so loud it deafened everything in the vicinity. Erza threw herself over Lucy, but the beast struck and they were both sent reeling across the ground.

Lucy crashed into the fountain wall, the wind knocked clean from her lungs. She blinked away the dizziness. Erza sprawled across the ground in the distance, and Gray rushed instantly to her side.

Acnologia plucked Lucy from the ground as easy as picking out a weed, her gown hanging from the points of his sharp teeth. Lucy stared into the eyes of death and could not blink.

"You look so much like her," he said, and she knew he meant Anna. "I thought she loved me, you know. But how could a woman ever love a beast?"

She knew how, because she loved Natsu. She loved him despite knowing the truth of his blood, despite the chaos he'd caused at the breach. She loved him so much that it hurt to know she'd never see him again.

Acnologia threw Lucy into the air, and she screamed, tears streaming down her face, the fear so tight in her stomach she thought it might explode. Acnologia opened his great maw and released a blast of magic so hot it streaked like blue smoke through the sky, obscuring the castle in a murky, foul-smelling fog.

"Lucy!"

Natsu's voice bellowed from the sky. An unseen power blazed through the courtyard, flaming hot. The ground exploded. Something broke her fall, and Lucy felt her stomach drop as she ascended once more through the sky.

"Hold on," Natsu said.

Lucy's hands slid through the smoke, and suddenly she saw it clearly, the shimmer of bright, red scales. A dragon. _Natsu. _

"But how... You were supposed to be gone."

"How could I leave you?" he said. "We're in this together, Lucy. As long as I'm still breathing, I will never give up. So trust me."

She did. She trusted him so much that it hurt to think she'd tried to send him away. She leaned forward and grabbed where she could, tilting with him as they flew across the sky. Airborne, the clash with Acnologia truly began.

She drew in the power of the constellations, feeling the stars pass through her skin. It was now or never.

Together, they charged a spell so magnificent it could have blown apart the sky. She enveloped Natsu's flames in a light so pure it hissed where it touched, singing her exposed arms, evaporating parts of her dress.

"Together," he said.

And they dropped from the sky in a spiral of magic that tore apart the entire courtyard, taking Acnologia with it. The dragon lay defeated in the crater.

"So that's how you created the breach," Lucy realised, her voice strained as they landed close by.

"Guess so," he said, as though he hadn't just turned into a dragon and torn apart the castle grounds in one foul blow.

"We're lucky," she panted. "His strength isn't what it used to be."

"Is he dead?" Natsu asked. He didn't mean Acnologia.

"I don't know," Lucy confessed. She looked at the bodies of her friends, and of the Spriggan Twelve, who still remained unconscious. Part of her, and it was a part she longed to suppress, truly hoped that he was.

"Zeref," Natsu whispered, as much as he could within the form of a giant beast.

Acnologia's body began to tremble, and the black scales crumbled away, revealing a human host within. Zeref lie naked and bloody, but Lucy sensed a beat of magic, and knew that his curse was alive.

"He lives," Lucy said. "But Acnologia does not."

Natsu lowered her to the ground and his body returned to its human state, his tattered clothes barely clinging to his muscular frame. He collapsed against her, and Lucy held him tight.

"What do we do with him?" Lucy asked.

Natsu sighed. "I can't kill him, Lucy. He's my brother."

Lucy wiped blood and tears from her face. "Then we will simply have to find another way."

* * *

With a little help from Wendy's magic, the Spriggan Twelve regained consciousness, and Zeref was held captive in his old room. They discussed punishments for what felt like hours, but Natsu refused every single one.

"With all due respect, death isn't good enough for him anymore," Lucy said. "People can't atone in the afterlife. He deserves to live with the suffering he caused. I agree with Natsu on this one, we must avoid execution if we can."

"I will leave this place," a voice whispered in the doorway.

Natsu leapt out of his seat. Lucy stood with him, though her legs still trembled at the mere sight of Natsu's brother.

"I must thank you for saving my body, Miss Heartfilia," Zeref said.

Lucy frowned. "Actually, it's Dragneel now."

Zeref hummed his approval. "If I remain here, all of you will die before you can decide my execution."

"Nobody said anything about an execution!" Natsu roared.

"Your majesty," Erza said, standing from her seat at the table. "We cannot possibly let him leave."

"But we must," Lucy realised.

"I don't intend to escape my punishment forever. But you cannot hold me, or kill me, until this curse is lifted," Zeref said.

"So you'll just leave again?" Natsu snapped.

Zeref smiled. "I missed you, brother."

Natsu seemed like he wanted to agree, but he stood stiff, his hands clenched into fists. He clearly wanted to punch something.

"Let him go," Igneel said. "If he cannot change his curse, he will live a life of solitude. That is a punishment in itself."

"Father," Zeref said, and whatever thoughts he had drifted to silence.

"So that's it? You'll just leave?" Lucy asked. "How do we know you won't come back when our guard is down?"

Zeref shrugged. "You won't. But you'll find yourselves too occupied to think of me soon enough." Lucy didn't quite understand what he meant. "Congratulations," he said. "I always knew you'd make history."

"What the hell?" Natsu spat.

"Acnologia's power was great, and it allowed me to see things I couldn't before. You'll find out soon enough why I wish to leave this place. Not just for your sake, but for the future of this family. I must go."

Natsu inhaled a sharp breath. "The future? You're still a pain in the ass."

"He's insufferable, isn't he?" Zeref said, and his gaze flickered to Lucy's stomach. "Aren't you glad there aren't two of him?"

Lucy touched her stomach, and by the time realisation hit her Zeref was gone, vanished like dust in the wind. Nobody saw him leave, and the knights chased down every hall, searching but never finding him.

"Natsu..." Lucy held her stomach in disbelief.

"Well I'll be damned," Igneel said, the pieces clicking into place. "I think this bloodline just got a little more interesting."

* * *

"How come there aren't anymore dragons, papa?"

Natsu leaned back on his throne, and Lucy watched with quiet delight as their daughter clambered into his lap. Nova wielded her mind well, but she'd inherited her father's thirst for adventure.

"Hmmm, let's see," he said, and Nova nestled in close. "I think it's because your mother ate them all."

Lucy's mouth opened, and she resisted the urge to smack him. She threaded her hands behind her back and watched from the dais as her daughter's mind went to work figuring out the truth.

"Grandpa said it's because papa hogged all the magic and now Nova doesn't get some."

Lucy bit back a laugh. After discovering her pregnancy for herself, Lucy had been forced to tell Natsu the truth of his mother's fate, and he'd been frantic with worry. To their surprise, Nova had shown no signs of what Igneel had called the dragon seed, and was born entirely human. Lucy's magic had died with Nova, and the threat of war along with her.

"Have you been listening to the ramblings of that old man again?" Natsu teased, and Nova grinned from ear-to-ear. "Do you trust him more than me?"

Nova shook her head, and Lucy couldn't contain the smile that spread onto her face. "But of course she trusts mamma more," she said.

Nova giggled. "Nope. Papa for sure."

"How is it you do that?" Lucy said, and Natsu shrugged with indifference.

"Must be something in the Heartfilia blood," he said.

For five years Lucy had watched her daughter grow, and for five years they'd worried about the powers she might develop. But such a fear had never come to fruition. And now Magnolia's castle was not a base of war but a home, where one family ruled over the rest of Fiore, keeping all of its people safe.

Erza and the other knights, together with the former Spriggan Twelve, worked hard to destroy the remaining lacrima, so that no man could be tainted by its corruption again.

"I'm sorry to interrupt such a sweet moment," a voice said.

Natsu's head snapped up and Lucy turned at once. Zeref stood in the doorway, white silk draped over his shoulders. His skin retained its pale hue, but his eyes shone with something gentle.

"Who let you in?" Lucy asked.

Zeref didn't answer.

"Brother," Natsu said, and a twisted relief painted his expression.

Nova glanced between her parents. "Papa? Who is that man?"

Natsu smiled, and he lowered Nova to the ground. "He's a dragon," he said, "and it's time we went to slay him."

He touched Lucy's back as they went, and she watched as two brothers reunited with a warm embrace. Zeref pulled Nova into his arms, and she was immediately bewitched by the Dragneel spell.

"Mamma, can we keep him?" she called.

"Yeah, mamma, can we?" Natsu said.

Lucy sighed. She was utterly outnumbered by Dragneels.

"You may punish me however you'd like," Zeref whispered.

Natsu outstretched his hand and she took it, as she always had, and always would. Zeref's smile softened, but she read only guilt in his eyes. It would take a long time to think of this man as family. Perhaps she never would. But with Natsu beside her, Lucy could do anything. She squeezed his hand, and Natsu grinned with reassurance.

"Yes," she said. "I suppose we can."


End file.
